Daily Quick Fix – 5 (Passive Gerund)
backlash - a strong negative reaction by a number of people against recent events, especially against political or social developments
// There was a conservative backlash against the feminism of the 80s.
// The government is facing an angry backlash from voters over the new tax.
censorship - цензура; is the censoring of books, plays, films, or reports, especially by government officials, because they are considered immoral or secret in some way.
// Many community leaders have called for censorship of the Internet.
// Partial censorship will become complete censorship.
// Nevertheless, and perhaps surprisingly, the central liberty principle admits censorship of certain extraordinary types of expression which necessarily harm others.
Passive Gerund
Present: Being + past participle
- He lost his job for being seen in the wrong place at wrong time.
- I remember being called names at school.
- I hate being spoken to as if I’m a child.
Past: Having been + past participle
- He showed no signs of having been warned.
- The notice, having been written in small letters, was not clearly visible.
- Having been punished for something he didn't do, John spoke to his parents.
- My colleague, having been told not to do it, made the call anyway.
What Is A Gerund? Definition And Examples
Gerunds as nouns
- Gerund as a subject: Sleeping is hard if you suffer from anxiety.
- Gerund phrase as a subject: Being rude to customers won’t earn you many tips.
- Gerund as a subject complement: His favorite activity is reading.
- Gerund phrase as a subject complement: The thing she hated most about school was getting up early.
Gerunds as objects
- Gerund as a direct object: Helena has mastered fencing.
- Gerund phrase as a direct object: They hate mowing the lawn.
- Gerund as an object of a preposition: He quickly resorted to begging.
- Gerund phrase as an object of a preposition: Holidays are perfect for visiting family.
ChatGPT:
1. After certain verbs
Many verbs are followed by a gerund, not an infinitive.
Examples:
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I enjoy reading books. ✅ (NOT ✗ I enjoy to read books.)
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She finished cleaning the kitchen.
-
They suggested going to the park.
👉 Common verbs followed by a gerund:
enjoy, dislike, avoid, consider, suggest, keep, finish, admit, deny, practice, miss, mind, imagine, risk.
3. After prepositions
Whenever a verb follows a preposition, we use the gerund:
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I’m interested in learning Spanish.
-
She’s good at singing.
-
They left without saying goodbye.
(in learning, at singing, without saying – all after prepositions.)
💡 B2 to C1 tip:
A very natural way to sound advanced is to vary your gerund structures:
✅ I don’t mind working late if it helps the team.
✅ Instead of complaining, try finding a solution.
✅ It’s worth checking the details again before you send the email.
Here’s a rich collection of useful gerund examples you can use and adapt in your own speaking and writing.
I’ll group them by common situations so you can remember them more easily.
🔹 1. After common verbs
(verbs that are naturally followed by a gerund)
-
I enjoy reading novels before bed.
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She dislikes getting up early on weekends.
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He avoids driving at night whenever possible.
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We finished painting the room yesterday.
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They considered moving to another city but decided to stay.
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I miss talking to my old colleagues.
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Would you mind opening the window?
🔹 2. After prepositions
(always use a gerund after a preposition)
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I’m interested in learning new languages.
-
She’s good at drawing portraits.
-
They’re excited about going on vacation next month.
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He apologized for being late to the meeting.
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She left without saying goodbye.
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Instead of complaining, try suggesting solutions.
🔹 3. As the subject of a sentence
(gerund as the main topic)
-
Traveling abroad broadens your horizons.
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Learning a new skill can boost your confidence.
-
Walking every day keeps me healthy.
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Cooking at home saves money and is healthier.
🔹 4. After certain expressions
(fixed phrases that need a gerund)
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It’s no use arguing with him; he never changes his mind.
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It’s worth checking your work twice before submitting it.
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I can’t help laughing at that joke.
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There’s no point in waiting any longer.
-
She spends hours studying for her exams.
🔹 5. With compound or complex ideas
(more advanced, closer to C1 level)
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He admitted having forgotten to send the email.
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I regret not telling her the truth earlier.
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I appreciate you taking the time to help me.
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Imagine living in a world without electricity.
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They denied being involved in the accident.
Having been + past participle is a perfect passive gerund.
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun.
In this case, having been is the -ing form of “have” (so it’s a gerund), followed by past participle to show a completed action in the past, often in the passive voice.
Example:
✅ I appreciate having been given this opportunity.
Here, having been given is the object of “appreciate.”
✔ It’s a gerund phrase because it functions as a noun (the thing appreciated).
✔ It shows that the giving happened before the appreciating.
🔹 Why use it?
We use this structure when:
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We want to emphasize that something happened before the action of the main verb.
-
We want to express it in passive voice (something was done to the subject).
🔹 Examples in context
✅ She thanked them for having been invited to the event.
(Being invited happened before she thanked them.)
✅ I don’t remember having been told that information.
(The telling happened in the past, before the moment of remembering.)
✅ He resented having been treated unfairly.
(The unfair treatment happened in the past.)
🔹 Compare with simple gerund
✔ I appreciate being given this opportunity.
✔ I appreciate having been given this opportunity.
Both are correct, but:
-
being given = more general (no focus on time)
-
having been given = emphasizes that the giving was completed before now or before another action.
✨ Key takeaway
✅ having been + past participle is indeed a gerund phrase when it functions as a noun.
✅ It’s called a perfect passive gerund.
✅ It shows that something happened earlier and in a passive way.
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"I appreciate having been given this opportunity" can be translated as
Я ценю само получение этой возможности.
or
Я ценю сам факт получения этой возможности.